Temperatures in Montreal have been hovering in the -20s this week (though as I write this, it’s a balmy -8C 😂). One of the ways I’ve been keeping warm while working at home is with an afternoon tea 😋
Instead of grabbing a tea bag, I put a spoonful of loose tea into my tea infuser (purchased secondhand at a garage sale) then let it sit for a couple minutes in my mug of hot water. Super easy! I usually make a second cup with the same loose tea before putting the tea leaves in my compost bin 😁
I bought this chai black tea from Bulk Barn using my reusable container. My other favorite place to refill loose tea is Ekkolo 💚 If you’re not able to buy package-free loose tea near you, you can often find it in metal tins at grocery stores (then reuse or recycle the canister when you’re done) 💡
While tea is always compostable, the tea bags might not be 😬 Many tea bags are made with plastic materials 😝 And sometimes those “paper” tea bag wrappers are lined with foil, rendering them non-recyclable 😢 If you have a stash of individually wrapped tea bags, the most eco-friendly thing you can do is use them up then check to see if your brand’s bags are compostable. This a great resource.
If your tea bags aren’t compostable, empty the tea leaves into your compost bin, then put the bag in the trash. You might need to throw the wrapper in the trash, too, unless the wrapper is 100% paper.
Loose tea is an easy, low waste swap 👍 I save a staple, string, paper tag and pouch with every cup! And I save money, too 🙌
OK, my fingers are getting cold again! Time to make that second cup 😊